Leonardo's maritime patrol aircraft displayed in Malaysia

March 21 (UPI) -- An Italian Air Force ATR 72MP, built by Leonardo, is being displayed at the Langkawi International Maritime And Aerospace Exhibition in Malaysia.

Leonardo says the ATR 72MP is being displayed for the first time internationally as the company envisions significant export opportunities in the region due the aircraft's low cost of operation, ease of maintenance and exceptional versatility.

The Italian company developed the maritime patrol plane using the ATR 72-600 turboprop as a base. It is suitable for patrol; the search and identification of surface vessels; command, control and communication; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and search-and-rescue operations.

It is equipped with Leonardo's ATOS mission system, which uses advanced data fusion techniques to present a single tactical picture to the operator, integrating information from all of the aircraft's sensors. Among those sensors is Leonardo's Seaspray Active Electronically Scanned Array radar.

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